


New Life

by ElZacharie



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Character Development, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Life Partners
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-10 00:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4370195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElZacharie/pseuds/ElZacharie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Shepard and his family move to Vancouver after an incident in Chicago and must adjust to the weird people of Normandy High School.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to your New Life! No, that was dumb, I'm sorry. Anyways, I've restarted development on one of my all time favourite fics I've ever written; it stagnated for me after chapter 4, and then I forgot about it completely. It's been YEARS since I've played Mass Effect, but it's still one of my favourite games and I am recalling a lot stuff. If I get any information wrong, TELL ME! I will love you forever.
> 
> I should state that:  
> \- Kahlee and Anderson are platonic life partners. Anderson is aromantic.  
> \- John has long, shaggy hair. He is not white, but he is based sort of off an actor I saw around the time I wrote this fic.  
> \- John is immature; he supposed to be. I want this fic to span over a few years for him (he's currently a freshman or sophomore), so he will change as a person and become more like the Shepard we know
> 
> Thank you guys so much for waiting-- the response to the fic was overwhelming and I'm glad you all enjoyed it when I first wrote it.

The shuttle was silent as we passed over Vancouver, my rage at being forced to move away from Chicago silently fuming in the back with me, smashed between dozens of boxes. Dad sat in the front seat with Kahlee, our nanny and my biotic trainer, intent on trying to get into the traffic over the city without crashing.

Since dad was famous for being in the military once, we got a lot of money after he retired. Many reporters tried to take pictures of him when we were leaving, chattering to their cameras about why we were moving and where we could possibly be going. I didn't understand why it mattered and didn't care— all I cared about was leaving everything I've known behind.

I had lived in Chicago for my entire life, ever since dad found me as a crying toddler on the streets and adopted me. I grew up in an old house his grandparents had owned, despite the fact we had more than enough credits to move somewhere much nicer. It was just as much my home as it was his.

The move was sudden— even Kahlee didn't know about it. Dad just told us one day to pack up our shit, that we were leaving and never coming back. I did what he said without a fuss, keeping my anger and biotics inside.

"Beautiful city," Kahlee stated in a light voice. "Don't you think so, John?"

I shrugged and grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest; I could feel my dog tags pressing against skin through my shirt.

When I was found by my dad, I was wearing two dog tags on a chain, bearing the name SHEPARD, JOHN. Dad thought it fit, so that became my name. Nothing special about it; just the name of some person who was killed as a private in the First Contact War— the only reason I still wore it was that it was like a good luck charm.

"John…" Kahlee scolded, turning back to look me in the eye. "Answer my question."

"It's fine," I mumbled. Kahlee took that as an acceptable answer and turned back to the front. After a few minutes, she began speaking again.

"I think you're going to like it at Normandy High, John. It's a great place— I went there when I was your age. They have an excellent biotic training program, not to mention an amazing football team."

Dad finally broke his silence and chuckled. "I hope you're not thinking about running off and becoming a student again, Sanders," he joked. Dad never said anyone's first name, not even mine. It took me a while to realize that my name was John, not Shepard.

"No, but I could become a teacher, if you really wanted me out of the house," Kahlee chortled, her laughter light and airy. God, it took all my power to not pop a boner right there. I had a major crush on her, no matter the age difference. I ran a hand through my shaggy hair, looking out the window as we began to descend.

Stepping out of the shuttle, my bones crackling as I moved, I examined my new home.

It was… well, it was really fucking big, to be honest. The entire house was just as old as our old house, maybe even more. The whole place looked like an old, haunted mansion, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was haunted. Behind the house were a large, empty field and a murky blue lake, visible even from here. It was flanked on both sides by newer houses that looked almost identical to each other, which made ours stand out in particular.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel some kind of connection spark between this place and I.

In a matter of hours, everything was taken from the shuttle and set up inside the house, just as night settled across the city. A few neighbors greeted us while we were moving in and offered to help, but dad said we were going to be all right and engaged in slight small talk before getting back to work. From what I picked up from their conversations, there was only one other human kid on the entire block. Whoop de-fucking doo.

Dad offered me a room in the front of the house, but I took the attic, located on the fourth floor. Despite the dust and squeaking floorboards, I fell in love with the room almost immediately after setting foot in it. Sure, it was dusty, but it was big enough to use as a workshop and train my biotics without fear of knocking something into the wall.

I was taping my old photographs to the walls when someone knocked on my door. I called for them to come in, and Kahlee entered the room with dinner. "I thought you might be hungry after the move, so I made some steak."

Smiling, I accepted the plate that held four steaks on it, sitting on my bed as I wolfed down the food. We exchanged small talk, Kahlee doing most of the talking while I just grunted. That kid on the street was mentioned again— he was some sort of biotic, it seemed. I finished my food and handed Kahlee the plate, which she took and left without a word.

I jumped under the covers, clothes still on, staring up at a picture of my best friends from Chicago. Listing their names in my head, I lulled myself into a fitful sleep.

I began school tomorrow. I could only pray that nothing spectacular would happen to me here. Okay, that was just me being dramatic, but still, it's the thought that counts, right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot's changed in this one

Kahlee dropped me off at the school, waving goodbye as I pulled up the hood of my N7 jacket and grabbed my bag, hopping out of the shuttle. I couldn't hear her anyways; I was playing music in my earpiece too loud to let in any sound.

The school was the length of an Alliance freighter and three stories high, if you didn't include the basement rooms Kahlee had mentioned. Kids of all races hung out in the large courtyard, pouring in and out of the school doors. Shouldering my bag, I skipped up the steps, weaving my way through a crowd of football players throwing a ball each other.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped inside was the graffiti along the walls. It was all in the school's colors, white and blue, that came together to create a platoon of faceless N7 soldiers. Above them waved a banner that read the school's name and motto, "You will never be alone."

Back in Chicago, my gang had sort of the same motto, more or less.

"Hey, stop it!" a deep, womanly voice cried. I turned around and saw a bunch of krogans ganging up on two girls, one human and the other an asari. The human tried to grab a backpack from the largest of the group while the asari tried to pick up her datapads from the floor. "Wrex, give it back!"

"Aw, come on, little human, you can do it," the krogan-- Wrex-- cackled, throwing it to another of his goons.

I know I shouldn't intervene, but... I couldn't just stand by, could I? Making up my mind, I pushed my way towards them, snatching the backpack from the unsuspecting krogan and handed it back to the girl, who clutched it protectively to her chest and backed away.

The group was stunned into silence and all eyes were now on me. I locked eyes with the leader as he stepped forward, swallowing the lump in my throat.

After a whole minute of creepy staring, the krogan spoke. "Do you know who I am?"

"Sure; the Crocodile Hunter wrestled you once, right? Not something to go boasting about, seeing as he must've kicked your ass."

Now, all eyes were on Wrex. From my position, I could see his eye twitch as he processed my insult, the gears slowly starting to grind in his tiny brain. I always knew I was gonna be killed over a stupid remark.

Suddenly, the krogan exploded into laughter, slapping me on the back and forcing me to lose my balance. "I haven't heard that before! I like you, human."

Just like that, I avoided my gruesome, brutal death.

The krogan walked away, still laughing, his gang looking as confused as I felt. When they were out of view, a hand tapped my shoulder-- the girls from before. I finally got a good look at them, now; the human was dressed in a loose fitting Junior Alliance Marine uniform, her hair done up in a bun that made her look severe and threatening. The asari was dressed in an outfit that looked like it cost an arm and a leg, and had freckles across her nose and cheeks, like nothing I'd seen on an asari before.

"Hey, thanks for helping us back out there," the human said. "We're not the most popular kids in school, and most people just mind their own business when it comes to people like Wrex."

"It's no problem," I shrugged. "I couldn't just let two beautiful women be terrorized by giant lizards."

The asari giggled, hiding a smile behind her hand. "Are you always this much a smooth talker?"

"Maybe. Care to find out?" I waggled my eyebrows at her, earning a laugh from the both of them. "John Shepard; I just moved here. I'm a sophomore."

"Nice to meet you; I'm Ashley, Williams, and this is Liara T'Soni. We're sophmores, too."

"Oh, shoot!" Liara cried suddenly, going ramrod straight. "I'm so sorry, but I just remembered I need to get a paper to Mr. Massani. It was nice meeting you, Shepard!"

I waved goodbye to Liara as she darted off, then exchanged contact information and my schedule with Ashley; as it turned out, we shared all of our afternoon classes together, so it was nice to know I wasn't completely alone.


	3. Chapter 3

First class of the day was health with Professor Mordin. I figured it was one of those classes where I could easily just lay my head on my desk and sleep, but the professor proved otherwise. The guy was a salarian, which didn't surprise me, but the way he talked was enough to make my head spin.

"Ah! New student!" Professor Mordin cried when I walked in with Ashley, who gave me a pitiful smile and hurried to her seat. "Human. Seventeen. Smart. Possibly genius. Strong. From… Illinois? Chicago, exactly. Biotic. Engineer. Dreams to be N7. Obvious, due to jacket. Virgin, but has gotten quite far. Gay, but in denial."

My ears flushed with anger and embarrassment as a few classmates chuckled, but the professor turned on them and glared, shutting them up immediately. I was already beginning to hate this school.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets as I took an empty seat near a purple-suited quarian girl, who quickly flicked a paper note to me.

SORRY ABOUT THE PROFESSOR, the note read. HE DOES THAT WITH ALL OF US, LOL. WELCOME TO NORMANDY HIGH!

At the bottom, the quarian signed her name, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, in smooth, curved letters. I drew a little version of her underneath her signature, giving a thumb up and winking. I dropped it to the floor, just beside her feet, which she picked up quickly.

We began passing notes back and forth; the salarian at the front of the class went on about krogan physiology or something, trying to hold back giggles at jokes of how the teacher probably never was laid in his life and things like that.

When I drew a tiny version of the professor being hit in the head with a penis and handed it off to Tali, Professor Solus was at my side immediately, snatching the note from her hand. Both of us sank into our seats, staring at each other with wide eyes. We were so dead.

"Who drew this?"

Tali tried to raise her hand, but I stopped her and said I did, I drew it. I couldn't let someone as innocent as her take the blame. From what she said in her note, she'd never gotten a write up in her entire life in school.

"Detail is great!" he cried. I stared at him incredulously. "Human penis, I take it? Quite large. More than average for human at this scale. Would you mind drawing a model of human reproduction system like this for class next week? Willing to give extra credit."

"I, uh, sure!" I stumbled, grabbing the note from his hands. "No problem!"

Professor Solus smiled and went back to the front of the class, explaining the homework assignment to the entire class. Breathing a sigh of relief, I gave Tali a low five and smiled at her. When the bell rang to release us, the entire class crowded around us to get a look at the picture. I tried to show as many people as possible before the professor herded us outside.

"What do you have next?" Tali asked as Ashley caught up with us in the hall. I introduced Ashley and Tali quickly, pulling out my schedule.

"Human Studies, with Mr. Harper," I replied. The girls flinched and hissed at my response. "What?"

"Mr. Harper is the worst teacher ever," Ashley explained. "He's super pro-human and hates anyone who isn't. He never shuts up about how humans will someday rule the universe and stuff like that. He's a jackass."

"And he assigns thirty pages of bookwork a day," Tali added. "I had him my freshmen year. It was terrible. I wouldn't have had it if it wasn't a mandatory class."

"But, hey, he does pick favourites!" Ash cheerily said, trying to look at the bright side for my sake. "You never know, he might just give you a hundred for being in that class. He did that with Lawson and that girl on the football team."

I shrugged, not very assured. I went downstairs and the girls went upstairs, waving goodbye and promising they'd see me at lunch. I had made some friends already and my first period teacher liked me, so that was something. Who knows, maybe I'm a little too pessimistic about this place.


	4. Chapter 4

The Human Studies class was the last door on the left of the first basement floor, marked by a giant, three-headed dog that hung over the window. The class inside had no lights or décor, just a holographic projector, a mahogany desk, and rows of raised platforms that acted as desks— it reminded me of a college classroom.

By the time I walked in, just as the tardy bell rang, all of the kids were in their seats. I tried to use the darkness as my advantage and slip into an empty chair near the back, but the teacher looked up from his desk and glared at me.

"Late, are we?" he snarled, staring at me with his unnaturally blue eyes. I shook my head, producing a scowl from him. "What is your name?"

"Shepard," I murmured, biting my lip. The look on the teacher's face softened in surprise.

"John Shepard?" I nodded. The teacher laughed and smiled, getting up from his seat and striding up to me, shaking my hand roughly. I scrunched my nose at the smell of cigarettes that perfumed him. "I taught your mother! Please, sit down."

The entire class stared at me as I took the seat in the back, pulling up the hood of my jacket once more. There was a buff, dark-skinned kid sitting next to me who smiled at me, stretching his big lips. He introduced himself as Jacob Taylor and explained what we were doing. It was some bullshit about the First Contact War, so I took out my sketchpad and drew the asari girl I had seen earlier, only naked.

Jacob did the work for me, without my asking, and turned it in for me. I was sure the teacher had seen what had happened, but he didn't raise any fuss about it. When Jacob got back, I showed him the drawing I had made, stifling laughter with him. A girl in front of us turned back to glare at us, eliciting an apology from Jacob.

"Who's she?" I asked Jacob.

"That's Miranda Lawson, head of the cheerleader team and smartest student on campus. She's here as a teacher's assistant for Mr. Harper, but she mostly just grades papers. We actually used to go out, but it didn't work out to well, but we stayed friends," he explained. I shrugged and began a new drawing, a back view of the girl taking off a tight cat suit. Jacob freaked out at that, trying to hide it from the girl when she looked back again, this time to look me in the eye.

My god, she was a hottie.

She wore a tight, low plunge shirt that showed off some fabulous as hell boobs and a tight, short skirt that showed off the straps of her thongs. She wore black boots that reached her knees, accenting her toned legs. Miranda caught me staring at her and winked slyly before turning back to her work.

The way Jacob stared at me, I swore he was about to get on his knees and bow to me. Turns out, Miranda, otherwise known as the Ice Queen, was not easily swayed into the throes of lust, despite her way of dressing. It had taken Jacob five years to get just his hand under her shirt, which happened just before the broke up.

"She's one hell of a catch, dude," he whispered as the bell rang. My eyes followed her down the steps, and I swear she was giving me a show on purpose. "Get her while you can."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last of the pre-written chapters.

The comment Harper had made about my mother slipped from my mind completely-- he was probably talking about Kahlee, and he certainly seemed old enough to have taught her. Besides, I wanted to get out of that damn class as soon as possible; Tali and Ashley weren't kidding when they said he was obnoxiously pro-human.

I wasn't the only one who was waiting for the saving grace of the bell, it seemed. When those beautiful, beautiful chimes rang out, three quarters of the class rushed to the door, pushing and shoving to fit through such a small space. Only a small handful of humans, Miranda Lawson among them, stayed behind to ask the teacher questions about the day's lesson.

Jacob and I walked together to our next class, math, trading contact info and him talking about the next teacher. He was some sort savant, but how he had ended up in a place like the Normandy was beyond anyone's comprehension.

The teacher, Mr. Archer, was nice enough, and much less eccentric than the last two teachers I'd dealt with. I learned that he was the person in charge of the robotics club, and even invited me to join, as they needed more members. Kahlee had always bugged me about after school stuff, so I decided to take him up on the offer.

After that was gym.

Whoever the hell decided that gym class should come right before lunch was a sadist. No, the fucking devil. It was like waving a chocolate bar in the face of someone starving to death. Okay, maybe I shouldn't make food related metaphors at a time like this.

The class was co-ed, with the girls pitted against the guys in teams, almost always in a game of dodgeball. The guys had the advantage most of the time: the two krogans in the class, Urdnot Wrex and Grunt, just happened to be MVPs on the football team.

Of course, the girls had their own weaponized players: Ashley, as it turned out, was a tactical genius, and could come up with ideas that could be in actual warfare. A strange girl named EDI had a throw that caused you to bruise, and an asari named Aria threw so hard it could break your ribs.

Which is why, at the end of gym class, I was laying down in the nurse's office, having an old lady press her hands against my ribs.

"Well, it's certainly no cause for alarm," the nurse, Chakwas, stated, leaning backwards in her chair. "The skin is bruised, but the bones should be intact; since you're still breathing properly, I should assume so. I would suggest seeing a doctor about getting it x-rayed, just to be sure, however."

I let out a small sigh, pressing a bag of ice to the bruise. Nurse Chakwas handed me the lunch Kahlee had packed for me earlier before moving to help the kid beside me.

"So, Kaidan, how are you feeling?"

"The headache's mostly gone, but I still feel nauseous," a soft, rough voice replied. "Is it alright if I stay for a little longer?"

"Of course, dear. Just make sure you get back to class once lunch is over."

I threw the plastic bag that had once held my sandwich into the bin beside me, watching it flutter gently to the ground beside it as I took a bite out of my sandwich. Oh well; I could get it later.

"Aren't you gonna pick that up?"

Turning my head, I saw... him. Him, with that ridiculous smirk, that ridiculous hair, that ridiculous /everything/, laying on the bed next to me. I felt like I was a character in some bad romance novel at that moment, but I didn't care; he was the handsomest guy I'd ever seen.

"Are you okay?" the guy asked, brows creased together.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah!" I blushed-- Jesus Christ, this was ridiculous. "S-sorry."

His eyes were still on me as I sat up and threw away the bag, almost checking me out. "Let me guess-- Aria T'Loak?"

It took a minute for the question to click-- he was asking about my injury. "Yeah. Nailed me right in the chest. I felt like I was dying."

The boy nodded and sat up, wincing from the effort. "She got me the same way last year, except in my knee. I couldn't walk for a week. Kaidan Alenko," he added, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"John Shepard," I answered. A glimmer of recognition shone in Kaidan's eyes.

"You're that new kid right? Ash told me about you. It's nice to meet you."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you too."

"Alright boys, that's enough chit chat," Chakwas called from her office. "If you're well enough to talk, head back to class. Alenko, I've called your mother and told her you need a refill on your medication."

"Thank you ma'am! What's your next class, John? I can show you to it if it's on the way; this place can be confusing sometimes."

"Uh... Chemistry with Mr. Wiks."

"He's a good teacher; you'll like him. Joker is in that class, too, I think. Say hi to him from me."

**Author's Note:**

> You can always find me at http://gayrretthawke.tumblr.com/ for my personal crap
> 
> If you want to read more of my old fanfics, you can check out  
> http://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Danes  
> or  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2207008/ElZacharie
> 
> If you want more updates on my writing/fanfics, check out http://elzacharie.tumblr.com/


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